United Way awards $3.1M in grants

UNITED WAY of Rhode Island has awarded $3.1 million in grant funding to 31 organizations to fund 41 programs throughout the state.
UNITED WAY of Rhode Island has awarded $3.1 million in grant funding to 31 organizations to fund 41 programs throughout the state.

PROVIDENCE – As part of the first stage of its three-year, $12 million grant initiative, United Way of Rhode Island has awarded $3.1 million in grant funding to 31 organizations to fund 41 programs throughout the state.

In its new strategic plan, LIVE UNITED 2020, UWRI set itself a goal of changing the lives of 250,000 Rhode Islanders, a quarter of the state’s population.

Of the total $3,135,816 awarded by UWRI in this cycle of the three-year plan, $475,000 will go to providing safe and affordable housing, $977,828 will fund the promotion of healthy lifestyles and financial stability, and multiple education initiatives will receive $1,682,988.

A complete list of grant recipients can be found HERE.

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Top recipients are:

  • Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island: $250,000 for three projects (housing stabilization for refugees, family literacy and leadership program and for a refugee community health worker)
  • Connecting for Children and Families: $235,370 for three projects (Hope Street Early Learning Center; Kids’ Adventure, out-of-school learning; Center for Financial Success)
  • Rhode Island Mentoring Project: $175,000 for two projects involving mentoring partnerships
  • Tri-Town Community Action Agency: $175,000 for two projects (Tri-Town Food Bank Expansion and Job Ready Financial Literacy)
  • Providence Plan: $150,000 for two projects (Building Futures)

When the organization began asking for grant proposals for LIVE UNITED 2020 last fall, they were inundated with 224 applications, said president and CEO Anthony Maione, 50 percent more than the previous year.

“All of the [applications] showed a great focus on changing lives in our state. If we can get more families into stable housing and give all kids an equal chance at succeeding in the classroom and beyond, there’s no limit to how strong our communities can become – and that helps everyone,” he said.

The first grant funding awarded since LIVE UNITED 2020 was announced, funds awarded during the 2016 cycle of this strategic plan will focus on piloting new programs or collaborations, expanding successful initiatives and sustaining efforts already generating positive results in the community.

Funding under LIVE UNITED 2020 focus on the multiple needs of Rhode Islanders, those families who may need food assistance and employment training, said Maione.

“We know that Rhode Islanders who are working to improve their lives often have needs in multiple areas … United Way has made a shift from being seen primarily as a grant-making organization, to one that is also a convener of community ideas with the ability to invest in solutions that truly change lives,” he added.

For close to six months a group of 75 trained community volunteers reviewed applications for grant funding and submitted their recommendations to UWRI’s Investment Committee. Applications were scored on criteria including fiscal accountability, agency operational standards, alignment with UWRI’s strategic goals, population and geography served, organizational stability and performance history, innovation and projected return on investment.

At the end of the review process, volunteers had sorted through $16.5 million in grant requests for 2016 alone.

Those organizations who were chosen to receive funding by UWRI’s Investment Committee will receive their funding on July 1. Awards will be made on an annual basis, with the possibility to renew for two or three years. Thirty-five percent of those organizations awarded funding in this cycle have not received grants from UWRI previously.

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